Thoughts from Lee Weems. (expanded for clarity by yours truly)- In IDPA matches, they won't disqualify you for sweeping the no-shoot targets with your muzzle. But, you should consider yourself disqualified, because you have violated our safety rule, never muzzle anything you are not willing to destroy. If you think it's a game, it's a game, and you will behave accordingly. Which will lead to tragedy. Because you will behave in combat as you have trained. How else would you behave? Do you think you are smart enough and cognizant enough to change things in the heat of combat to override your training?- Students ask me, "When can I shoot the bad guy?" That's the wrong question. You have a gun, you can shoot him anytime you choose to. So, they ask, "When may I shoot the bad guy?" Meaning, when am I legally justified in shooting? But, that's still the wrong question. In my state, you are legally justified to use deadly force to prevent death, serious bodily injury, or a capital felony. If I grab a guy by the arm and move him a few feet, I've technically committed kidnapping. If you shot me for that, would you have problems? You bet. So, you should be asking, "When must I shoot?" - You must strive to avoid shooting the bad guy, because you will spend $30,000 on a completely justifiable clean shoot. If you are prosecuted, you will spend $100,000 before your case goes to trial. Not all magistrates are capable of granting bond for a serious felony charge. So, you may have to wait for a higher level judge to show up in your district. You could be in jail awaiting a bond hearing for 21 days.-[All misquotes, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations are the fault of Jon Low.]

Thoughts from Tatiana Whitlock (paraphrased by yours truly) You train and practice for the ones who love you. Your training and practice will cause you to exude confidence. No, as a matter of fact, you can't fake it.[All errors are the fault of Jon Low]

The better your skills, the better your decisions.(Because you don't have to think about what you are doing.) The expert has automatic use of his tools.-- Lee Weems

Thoughts from Kevin Davis (paraphrased by yours truly) Breathe, reduce your stress, focus on your task. Don't make a statement to the police until after at least one sleep cycle. Your attorney must be present for the interview. Do random training to know your non-primed reaction times. Reacting to unplanned stimuli is different from reacting to the beep of the timer that you know is coming in a few seconds. Learn the pre-assault cues. If you don't know them, you will be taken by surprise. Subscribe to the http://www.forcescience.org/newsletter.[All errors due to Jon Low.]

Thoughts from Massad Ayoob (paraphrased by yours truly) A person can turn 90 degrees in 1/4 second. A person can turn 180 degrees in 1/2 second. So, shooting a person in the back is reasonable, as everyone is moving in combat. Reaction time to anticipated stimuli is about 1/4th of a second. Reaction to unanticipated stimuli is about 3/4ths of a second. Only 1% take training beyond the CCW.[All errors due to Jon Low.]

Thoughts from Tom Givens (paraphrased by yours truly) You should ask:Is this training useful?Is this training simple?Have these techniques been tested under duress / extreme conditions?Are these techniques proven by prior use? Instructors should teach their students what they need, not what they want. We are all prisoners of our experience.[All errors due to Jon Low.]

Two carjackings at the same location a few days apart with very different outcomes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=359&v=y1mvBfY0bNo Do not render first aid to the guy who just tried to kill you! Do not attempt to restrain the guy who just tried to kill you! Do not bend over to pick up the other guy's weapon. Kick it away from him, if you feel you need to. Stay away from the bad guy!

Testing Concealed-Carry Methods at Gunsite Academyhttps://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/3/23/testing-concealed-carry-methods-at-gunsite-academy/Excerpts: Ankle holsters, belly bands, and tactical t-shirts (the kind with a pistol pocket), will usually just mean that you are carrying a gun that you can’t get to in time. Big guns are easier to shoot accurately, but more difficult to conceal. Little guns are easier to conceal, but more difficult to shoot accurately. Too often, we are tempted to practice scenarios that just make us feel good about the way we carry.

G-Sight Laser Training CartridgesAre well made instruments that fit in your chamber as would a cartridge and emit a red laser when the firing pin strikes it. Useful for dry practice training. I have used them and they work well.Use promo code, TACCON20www.UTFHQ.com There is also much more you can do with it with your smart phone and other equipment, but I haven't gotten that far yet.

The forward facing corner of the disassembly lever of the Ruger American pistol has a sharp edge that might bite you when racking the slide. I have taken a metal file and rounded it and smoothed it. The metal part isn't that hard and the modification does not affect anything structural. Applying WD-40 to the file and using a tooth brush to keep the filings out of the teeth of the file helps a lot. American or European files cut on the pushing stroke. Japanese files cut on the pulling stroke. So, the file handles are built appropriately.

Thoughts from Tom Givens (paraphrased by yours truly) Revolvers are obsolete. No one has ever successfully reloaded a revolver in a close quarter gunfight.[All errors are the fault of Jon Low]

Thoughts from Chuck Haggard (paraphrased by yours truly)www.AgileTactical.com Tasers are not stun guns. Both are worthless. A sap is a good option, if it's legal where you operate. [All errors are the fault of Jon Low]

3 Essential First Steps for a New Gun Ownerhttps://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/3/30/3-essential-first-steps-for-a-new-gun-owner/ Now that you've field stripped your pistol, you need to clean it (Yes, even if it is brand new. You need to get the grease, cosmaline, etc. off of all surfaces. That stuff is great for preventing rust when the pistol is in storage, but may cause dents in your bore if left in the bore when fired. It will also cause malfunctions if left in the trigger mechanism.)

Tell 911 that it was self defense. Tell the responding officers that it was self defense. The trial court judge, the appellate court judges, and the supreme court judges will think it strange if you claim self defense at trial or on appeal, but never mentioned it at the scene. Or worse, were not
at the scene to claim self defense.-- Andrew BrancaLawOfSelfDefense.com/showAndrew has a great web broadcast every Wednesday at 13:00.

Thoughts from Skip Gochenour. (expanded for clarity by yours truly)In the context of the aftermath of a self defense shooting.- You have two opportunities to tell your story: when questioned by responding officers and at trial. When talking to the responding officer you can answer the questions you choose to and decline to answer those you don't want to, and you may stop talking at anytime. The officer cannot say that you refused to answer particular questions when he is
questioned at trial. [I don't remember the legal reasons that Skip gave.] At trial you have no control. The prosecutor will cross examine you. And if you refuse to answer the question, the judge will order you to answer the question. If you refuse to, the jury is going to think you are hiding something, and that's going to make you look guilty.- It's all about character. If you have good character and a reputation for having a good character, it's going to be extremely difficult to convict you, so the prosecutor probably won't waste the time and money. Losing a case is bad for his career and reputation.- Prosecutors like to charge capital crimes that carry the death penalty, because that requires a death qualified jury. They dismiss all the jurors that won't sentence to death if convicted of the capital crime. Such a jury is seven times more likely to convict of something (possibly a lesser included crime).- When looking for an attorney to defend you in a self defense case, find out if they have interviewed jurors after their cases. If they didn't care enough to do that, consider someone else.- Don't make the police hunt for you. Be the first to call the police. Get an attorney and make a statement with your attorney present.- The AOJ (Ability, Opportunity, and Jeopardy) modelworks well for sworn law enforcement officers, but not so much for civilians. A better model would be ADEE (Avoid, Disengage, Evade, Escape).- State laws vary as to what constitutes provoking a lethal force confrontation. People of good character never provoke anything.- Concerning imminent threat -- Immediate means happening now. Imminent means likely to occur at any moment; impending. Skip gave us an example where the jury interpreted imminent to mean that if she did not shoot him within the narrow window of opportunity that she had, she would not be able to prevent her eventual and inevitable torture. Therefore, even though there was no immediate or imminent threat, she was legally justified in shooting him as he lathered up in the shower, thereby killing him.I will not relate the details of the incident, because it was so depraved it gave me nightmares.(This is also codified in state laws as the Battered Spouse Syndrome. But, Skip's example was an extreme case of this self defense theory.)-[All misquotes, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations are the fault of Jon Low.]

Andrew Branca's Law of Self Defense Boxer's Bare Hands Qualify as "Deadly Weapons"?https://www.patreon.com/posts/17892211 There are links to the Minnesota appellate court ruling and the Minnesota supreme court ruling at the bottom of the article. The significant thing for us is that trained responses, such as two quick left hooks to the head, do not relieve you of the responsibility to stop the use of force once the threat stops. That's why no legitimate gun school teaches "Tap, Rack, Bang". They teach "Tap, Rack, Assess".
Because the shooting must always be an intellectual
decision, not a pre-programmed reflexive response.

Survival Lessons From South of the Borderhttps://www.offgridweb.com/survival/survival-lessons-from-south-of-the-border/Excerpts: For example, cartel members will dress as ICE agents to carry out abductions. Kidnappers dressing as military or local police is also very common. Training and equipment helps, but mindset is probably the most important factor. Don’t give in to the kidnappers’ illusion that they’re in complete control, and you are helpless to fight back. What factors make someone a target for kidnapping?Signs of wealth, demonstrated by their possessions. Their social media, either through demonstration of wealth and status or establishing patterns of life and real-time locations. It’s an open window into your daily life that can be very easily used to target you. If the abduction is ideologically motivated, expressions of your nationality based on clothing, language, attitude, body language, etc., can also be a factor. A karate class or self-defense class isn’t enough. Any sort of preparation of that nature has to include the parents. People should know that kids playing hide and seek are learning a survival skill. Include your kids in any kind of training, like firearms or survival, so they can get experience at a young age. There’s no such thing as an R-rated abduction story for kids. . . . Evil has many faces, and they’re usually pretty charming. It’s not about fear mongering, they just need to be aware that those things are real. Let them know the options, including breaking somebody’s grasp. Above all, I think situational awareness is the most valuable, and easily teachable skill for children. [SERE stands for Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape. Much of this training is classified. So, you shouldn't expect anything in the open source media to correctly characterize this training.] . . . bartering and bribery are universal.

"If you prepare for the emergency, the emergency ceases to exist!"-- Dr. Sherman House

***** Miscellany *****

If you would like the lesson plans for my NRA Defensive Pistol course, send me an email, and I'll send you the latest version. The lesson plans constantly change as I take courses, communicate with other instructors, and stay abreast of best practices. I have changed and added a lot from the 2018 Tactical Conference.